A PUBLICATION OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE SACRAMENTO REGION THE VOICE YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL & GLOBAL JEWISH NEWS 20 YEARS AFTER THE SYNAGOGUE FIREBOMBINGS SUMMER 2019·5779 THE VOICE a publication of The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region CONTENTS Willie Recht Executive Director Elissa Einhorn Communications Director/Managing Editor President’s Message . 3 . Rebecca Ray Community Social Worker Shelly Kremer Executive Director’s Message . 5. PJ Library Program Manager Nancy Hernandez Administrative Associate Board Member’s Message. 7 Capital Graphics Inc. Production Circle Design Design/Layout Remembering June 18, 1999 . 8. BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Program Feature: Jews and Poverty . .12 . Deborah Hoffman Gonzalez, President David Poisner, Vice-President Bob Dresser, Vice-President 2018 Annual Report . .15 . Fran Bremson, Treasurer/Acting Secretary Bruce Pomer, JCRC Chair Carol Loew, Immediate Past President Global Jewish News: MEMBERS AT LARGE Cliff Berg Building Community One Book at a Time . .19 . Don Gilbert Ruth Gottlieb Federation Honored with FBI Community Leadership Award . 20. Lindie Henderson Robb Layne Marion Leff A Message from the Pulpit: Madeline Rubenstein Dan Weitzman Rabbi Mendy Cohen . 23. Caron Nogen Zamansky THE VOICE is published four times annually. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Jewish Federation. We are not responsible for the kashrut of any advertiser’s product or establishment. THE VOICE reserves the right to refuse advertising or any submissions for publication. The publication of a paid advertisement does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate, political party, or political position by The Jewish Federation. 2130 21st Street Sacramento CA 95818 916-486-0906 jewishsac.org PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE IT’S SIMPLE MATH This past April, my husband and I cycled nearly 300 miles through the Negev, climbing up and down thousands of miles of elevation, through a sandy, windy, barren landscape, until we were rewarded in the final descent into Eilat, with its red rocks and the Red Sea as our background. We spent five days bent over handlebars, tushies on tiny bike saddles, fueled by hummus and tahini, and an occasional morning rugelach. We rode along the Egyptian border and on the “Peacetrail” border with Jordan. We climbed in and out of Makhtesh Ramon, and also HaMakhtesh HaGadol and HaMakhtesh HaKatan (a Makhtesh is translated as a “crater,” but is in fact a geologic erosion, similar to the Grand Canyon). It was both tiring and exhilarating. We were surrounded by like-minded people from all over North America, raising much-needed funds for the “Tikvah” program for individuals with special needs in the Ramah camping movement. For me, taking time off from work, arranging coverage for the household, paying my way, raising money, (baking a TON of challah for my donors), shipping my bike, enduring the time in the saddle, and surviving jet lag was a labor of love. I mean, Israel + cycling + Jewish camping + helping people with special needs = NO BRAINER! “You take the elements you like about an organization, add them together, and voila, a formula for success!” What does this have to do with Federation? Well, it’s simple math. You take the elements you like about an organization, add them together, and voila, a formula for success! And a reason to GIVE. I told you why I gave heart and soul (and money) to Ramah. Why do I give to Federation? You can see for yourself in the Annual Report presented in this issue. I care about the future of the Jewish community (PJ Library, Shalom School, Hillel); I care about Jewish poverty (Kosher Food Pantry); I care about how Jews are treated in our community and whether or not our government acts ethically (JCRC); I care about our community gathering together as one (Yom Hashoah, Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Sacramento Jewish Film Festival); I care about our seniors (Leisure League, Shabbat Shalom Sacramento, Holiday Gift Bag deliveries); and, I care about Israel as the homeland of the Jews, as a safe haven for Jews worldwide who are fighting anti-Semitism (Jewish Federations of North America and its international partners, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and World ORT). PJ Library + Jewish Family Service + Supporting Israel + Social Justice + Creating Community = Helping people BE and DO Jewish. Won’t you join me and make your pledge today? With gratitude, Deborah Hoffman Gonzalez President [email protected] The Voice · Summer 2019-5779 · 3 ZACHOR. WE SHALL NOT FORGET. REMEMBRANCE & RESILIENCE Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Sacramento Firebombings Friday June 14 6:00pm: Shabbat Services at Congregation Beth Shalom Saturday June 15 12:00pm: Shabbat Lunch at Kenesset Israel Torah Center Tuesday June 18 6:30pm: Communitywide Commemoration at Congregation B’nai Israel Presented by The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, Sacramento Board of Rabbis, Jewish Community Relations Council, Congregation B’nai Israel, Congregation Beth Shalom, Kenesset Israel Torah Center, and the Unity Center at the California Museum Please contact the Jewish Federation with any questions: 916-486-0906 | [email protected] EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE WE ARE HERE FOR YOU A few months ago, long-time community leader and Federation Past President, Roz Levy-Weintraub, ZACHOR. came by the Federation to drop off a bag of books that belonged to her late and beloved husband Lou Weintraub (z”l). Roz handed me the bag saying that she thought I would appreciate them. WE SHALL NOT FORGET. Inside were three books about the history of Federations and the Federated movement. Aside from being one of the most thoughtful gifts I have received, these books — for obvious reasons — are incredibly relevant and practical. REMEMBRANCE & RESILIENCE One book, To Dwell In Unity: The Jewish Federation Movement in America since 1960, by Philip Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Sacramento Firebombings Bernstein, former CEO of Council of Jewish Federations (before JFNA) talked about how different the Federated system looks today — agencies and partner organizations have taken on their own fundraising responsibilities, and a trend towards program-specific funding amongst donors, especially younger donors, has changed the way that many communities and Federations fundraise for their Annual Campaigns. One chapter has stuck with me since: “Inclusive — not exclusive: Carrying the responsibilities of the entire community for actions that affect all Jews, Federations have sought to include and involve all elements of the community — Conservative, Orthodox and Reform; capital and labor, young and old; men and women. In the Federation, they have found a common meeting ground, the only such one in Jewish life.” “We are here for the whole community.” I was reminded that while much has and will continue to change, our overriding principles of why we are here and what we do remain steadfast and stronger than ever. We are here for the whole community. There is no other organization locally that carries this responsibility and serves the greater population that way that the Federation can and does. Whether we are providing bags of groceries from our Kosher food pantry to a JFS client or scholarships to Israel for synagogue teenagers, we are here for you. Whether we are opening the building for a series of courses taught by Chabad or for a TICVA Board Retreat, we are here for you. Whether you attended our Israel Action Network presentation or the JCRC’s co-sponsored J Street program, we are here for you. And whether we gathered to celebrate our rich culture at the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival or to mourn our collective losses at our communitywide Yom Hashoah Commemoration, we are here for you. And G-d forbid, when there is an emergency, and this community needs to mobilize quickly, we are here for you and we are honored to carry this responsibility. Thank you for what you do so that we can continue to be here for our community. We could not do this without you. Respectfully, Willie Recht Executive Director [email protected] The Voice · Summer 2019-5779 · 5 and Women’s Philanthropy present CONNECTIONS (Yes, it’s back!) SAVE THE DATE Thursday Evening November 14, 2019 Keynote Speaker Sheryl Olitzky, Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom BOARD MEMBER’S MESSAGE THE NEED FOR A STRONG JFS Hidden Jews and hidden poverty — they often go together. These are the folks utilizing Federation’s Kosher Food Pantry (more than 100 bags distributed last year), or calling Jewish Family Service (JFS) (60 calls on average per month) with needs, lacking the means to solve problems themselves. Let me tell you two stories. Sol* was homeless. He was both physically and mentally impaired and he had been my patient on and off for decades. Our shared Jewish background was an important bond to him. He might disappear for years only to show up again as he did two years ago when I was still in practice. The emergency room called to contact me — his only identified doctor — that he was being discharged and needed follow- up. He had no family and had burned bridges with several facilities. When this old man hobbled over to my office shivering and hungry, staff turned an exam room over to him to sleep and brought him some food. Among the immediate calls made that morning, JFS was at the top of my list. Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending. Without a robust JFS that includes case management, there was only so much they could do to assist. Sol was sent out with band-aid housing coverage. I knew it would not be long before he was either in another emergency room or a casualty to life on the streets. And a very personal story, one of an aging parent — my own.